Posts Tagged ‘no refined sugar’

Today, I read something beautiful from the Facebook Page of MS—Living Symptom-Free that says, “When MS knocks you down, roll over and look at the stars”. So that’s what I’m attempting to do today—look at the stars.

Anyway, ‘tis the season to be jolly, and in the spirit of nostalgia (and trying to add flavor to my life), here is my take on gluten-free, dairy-free bibingka that doesn’t use refined sugar.

First of all, preheat your oven at 190ºC before preparing your ingredients.

Get a small circular cake tin (about 7 inches in diameter), grease with either coconut oil or sunflower oil, then line with a banana leaf, cut to fit the container. Lightly spray with sunflower oil then set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, sift together a cup non-glutenous rice flour, a fourth of an eight (or 0.03125) teaspoon (or let’s just say a very frugal Ebenezer Scrooge dash) of salt, and 1 ½ teaspoon of baking powder.

Add the flour mix into the batter and mix till smooth. Pour into the baking container you prepared earlier. Top with the whites of the salted eggs and place it in the oven to bake. I included the yolk just for the picture, but removed it before eating it because it’s just too salty for my taste (or maybe it’s because this recent bug has compromised my tastebuds).

After 15 minutes, shift the temperature to 150ºC and leave to bake for another 20 minutes. Lightly coat it with some Earth Balance™ dairy-free, soy-free and gluten-free butter, and top with coconut shavings. Eat with your favorite morning beverage.

This should feed 4 people, so enjoy a piece and find 3 people to share this with (or chuck it in the fridge so you can heat and serve it later). It’s tempting, but don’t gobble this up on your own in one go. And that’s true for most of the recipes on this website.

After my recent relapse, I’ve been hobbling my way towards recovery. I’ve been given a cross, and told to have faith and manage my expectations.

Admittedly, it’s a huge lifestyle shift. I’ve gone from being sturdy and efficient to relearning things that I used to be able to do with my eyes closed. No matter. I’m alive and will continue to fight the good fight.

Moving on to happier things, my favorite kind of indulgence is one that is budget-friendly and easy to make.

So blessed to have the kindest, most resourceful husband ever. Knowing that I haven’t been well enough to bake anything, he went through my recipes and made a loaf of Holiday Banana Goodness yesterday with stuff from our small pantry (because what could be better than cooking awesome food on a budget?). I normally despise raisins, but love them in this loaf. It was a bit charred on top, but I liked it. He also put some pumpkin seeds on it, which I think is creative (you don’t have to do this bit—you can sprinkle yours with muesli, granola, crushed walnuts or whatever strikes your fancy).

Combine the following dry ingredients:

1 cup of rice flour

¾ cup of potato starch

¼ cup of cassava starch

½ cup of coconut sugar

1½ teaspoon of baking powder

1 tablespoon of coffee powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon of salt

Include the following wet ingredients:

2 tablespoons of coconut oil

1 tablespoon of butter

113g of unsweetened apple sauce

¼ cup of water

2 mashed bananas

Blend everything well then add:

½ cup raisins

½ cup walnuts

½ cup of chocolate chips

Fold in 2 egg whites beaten to a stiff peak. Pour in a greased and lined loaf tin, top with either muesli, crushed walnuts, pumpkin seeds, whathaveyou, and bake at 180ºC for 30 to 35 minutes.

Eat with a scoop of dairy-free, gluten-free chocolate gelato from Gelatissimo™, and/or a dollop of cashew nutbutter in vanilla chai from Made by Max™.

This is my gluten-free, dairy-free version of an old favorite that I am no longer allowed to have, but have fond memories of. I figured this one out after I noticed how the dryer version of my hazelnutbutter was malleable like dough, and tasted like Ferrero Rocher™ (except, let’s face it, the original is waaaayyy better, but this is yummy, too, it’s just not too much like Ferrero—more like the niece of the wife of the cousin of its distant cousin).

It’s pretty simple: get a tablespoon of hazelnutbutter (used a homemade version which recipe appears after this), flatten it on your palm, put a dot of Made by Max™ cashew butter in crunchy cacao (or any nutbutter of your choice), seal and roll into a ball, then roll on a bed of crushed rice crispies or gluten-free cornflakes. Place each ball in a muffin cup and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours. Enjoy in moderation.

Since 2014, I have been exploring ways to make my highly restrictive diet more flavorful. That is why I was psyched to stumble upon Juniper’s Teriyaki sauce recipe. Made some minor revisions with some of the ingredients, but it’s more or less the same thing. Very happy with the result.

In a heavy-bottom pan, over medium heat, stir together using a steel whisk:

a cup of water

2 tablespoons of honey

5 tablespoons of raw coco sugar

½ teaspoon of ground ginger (I used my ground pickled ginger, which recipe is so simple, I will also share it here)

1 tablespoon garlic powder

¼ cup of coconut soy sauce replacement (I found an affordable version at the Saturday market—so yummy)

Bring to a simmer then add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch that has been dissolved in ¼ cup of cold water. Turn off the heat. Cool and transfer to a sterilized jar before storing it in the fridge. Mine was good for up to a couple of weeks. It would have probably lasted longer, but we finished the sauce too soon to find out.

This is what we used to create the savory filling of the Pao Dough we made. Really handy and yummy.

Savory Tuna Filling for the Pao Dough

Sauté a cup of cubed tuna (or you can just pick canned tuna in water) over low heat in a tablespoon of safflower or sunflower oil. Add crudely chopped garlic and onions, and a couple of bay leaves.

Put in the corn and carrot bits (like the ones that come un freezer packs).

Once the veggies are cooked, press the tuna cubes with your ladle and let them flake.

Add 4 tablespoons of the teriyaki sauce that you made earlier on. Turn off the flame and cover the pan as you make your Pao Dough.

Fill each dough ball with the savory tuna mix, seal and bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 200ºC.

Feeling a little bit like the Mad Hatter today, having tea with the awesome White Rabbit. Made a batch of cashew cakes for breakfast and the hubby’s packed lunch. The best kind of recipe is one which ingredients are simple and easily accessible.
Sift together:

Mix the wet and dry ingredients well, then fold in 2 egg whites beaten to a stiff peak with a teaspoon of cream of tartar. Blend the first half of the egg whites in the batter till smooth then carefully fold in the remaining half.

Cover the bottom of each greased cupcake tin with split cashews before pouring the batter. Bake in a preheated oven at 180ºC for 35 minutes, or till it passes the toothpick test.

Create a small hole in the middle of each cupcake and place half a teaspoon of almond butter and half a teaspoon of cranberry sauce. For this recipe, I used a special sample jar of Made by Max™ plain almond butter (so yummy) and TESCO™ Cranberry Sauce (which, incidentally, is great with chicken, but that’s for another recipe). Crown with crushed roasted walnuts. Serve with black coffee or your choice of tea.

This recipe should make 10 small cupcakes. Serving size is 2 per person.

Fold in 2 egg whites beaten to a stiff peak with a teaspoon of cream of tartar. Mix the first half of the egg whites in the batter till smooth then gently fold in the remaining half.

Cover the bottom of each greased cupcake tin with pecan nuts before pouring the batter. Bake in a preheated oven at 180ºC for 35 minutes, or till it passes the toothpick test. Makes 14 to 16 small cupcakes. Serving size is 1 to 2 per person. Top each cupcake with Made by Max™ Cashew Butter in Crunchy Cacao and crown with a roasted pecan. Serve with black coffee or your favorite of tea.

Mix everything with a spatula. When the texture resembles a semi-melted marshmallow, plop on a floured surface and flatten into a rectangle that’s half an inch thick. Cut your biscuits using a mold of your choice. I just use the mouth of an old jar to cut my biscuits out of the dough.

Place in a greased and lined cooking tray, and brush the tops with egg wash (which is basically just a mix of 1 tablespoon of almond milk and the yolk you’ve set aside). Bake in a preheated oven at 204ºC for 20 minutes, or till it passes the toothpick test. This makes about 10 scones. Best served fresh from the oven. If you can’t consume all that, you may want to leave the rest of the dough in the fridge and bake when you want to eat them.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients then fold in 2 egg whites beaten to a stiff peak with a teaspoon of cream of tartar. Mix the first half of the egg whites in the batter till smooth then gently fold in the remaining half.

Great with black coffee

Cover the bottom of each greased cupcake tin with crushed pili nuts before pouring the batter. Bake in a preheated oven at 180ºC for 35 minutes, or till it passes the toothpick test.

Only 2 pieces per customer

Makes 10 small cupcakes. Serving size is 2 per person. Top each cupcake with a dollop of Tofutti™ ricotta and crown with a peeled and roasted pili nut. Pair with black coffee or your choice of tea.

Combine everything then fold in 2 egg whites beaten to a stiff peak with a teaspoon of cream of tartar. Mix the first half of the egg whites in the batter till smooth then gently fold in the remaining half.

Just a tablespoon in each mini cakes goes a long way…

Place a pinch of crushed pili nuts in lined and greased muffin tins before pouring the batter. Bake in a preheated oven at 180ºC for 35 minutes, or till it passes the toothpick test.